People Watching from the Cafe

Of all the joys of working from a coffee shop, people-watching is one of the best. Here are a few people who passed by the window in the rain. [Location: Maida Vale, London]

First, a gentleman passes by with a large umbrella in one hand and a leash in the other, with a Chocolate Labrador on a end. The lab refused to follow his owner, stubbornly stopping wherever he wanted. The gentleman almost dragged the lab across the street against his will. They disappeared around a corner.

Then a younger man passed by, walking briskly with his hood up, holding a leash to a small, cream colored spaniel. The spaniel bounced alongside, entirely infatuated with the taste of his leash. I'm impressed how the dog simultaneously managed to chew the leash, bounce incessantly, and stay by the side of his owner. After a few minutes, they came back past the window with a full shopping bag.

Across the street, a thin, silver-haired, middle-aged man wandered down the street with a caramel-colored pitbull. The man wasn't bothered by the rain. While he technically was walking his dog, it seemed much more like the dog was walking him, not due to the dog's size or strength but the indifference of the owner.

A number of people passed quickly in black business clothes and overcoats and dark umbrellas, with their heads down. They're not appreciating the weather. I don't blame them.

The window where I'm sitting has a large overhang over the sidewalk, so a number of people stopped for a moment in the shelter. They would have a quick smoke, use their iPhones, or drink a coffee, wishing they had remembered to bring an umbrella with them today.

Not Good Enough to Do Good

Did you know that God is picky about who can do good works? Random acts of kindness may actually be despicable in God's eyes, even when done by believers. It's a radical concept, generally ignored by contemporary churches, but it's in the Bible. Check out Titus 1:16 "They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work." 

Paul is writing to Titus about disobedient believers. These are believers, who "profess to know God." They know about Jesus and are likely attending Titus' church. They are born again, part of God's family. But they don't live like it. As a result, God says they are "disqualified for every good work." What a strange concept. Because of their disobedience, God doesn't accept their good works. It's a bit like a father whose daughter won't talk to him or listen to anything he says, but then she washes all the dishes after dinner. Her good works are really useless, until the obedience is in place.

God expects us believers to be obedient. He has already granted us enough grace, power, and mercy to have full victory over the trials we face. No temptation is too great with His strength (I Cor 10:13). It's not okay just to "let go and let God." He expects loyalty from us. As His children, we ought to spend time with Him each day, asking Him what He requires of us and making Him Lord over our lives. He expects daily decisions to deny ourselves and follow Him, to become disciples and to make disciples. It's an all-consuming life work. And I strive to give my whole life to this task.


"For [the Lord] delights in loyalty rather than sacrifice, and in the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings." Hosea 6:6

Branding Done Well

Before I called Bank of America and Capital One, I had no preconception of which is a better company. After one call to each, I now love Capital One and despise Bank of America. It's the little things that make all the difference. Customer service is key. Without it, CEOs corrode their own branding.

Some corporations build outstanding goodwill with good customer service and rewards systems. They earn life-long customers who delight to give them business and tweet their love for the business. In addition to customer service, reward cards are one of the top ways to earn loyal customers.  Everyone wants to get enough stamps or points to earn free goods. When I get a punch card, I usually keep coming back to fill it. The cost of the free cookie, latte or even a burrito is surely negligible compared to the new loyal customers and the boost of goodwill. I'm surprised not all food services have such a reward system.

Some businesses have more creative forms of recognizing loyal customers. Shake Shack, for example, is one of my favorite places to go. They don't have any formalized system for rewarding loyalty, but they do sweeten the orders of customers they recognize. Although they operate in one of the busiest cities in the world, the staff is incredibly friendly and personable. I go to the same branch often, and I get all sorts of perks. I highly recommend them. Plus, their custards and burgers are fantastic.

Birthdays are also an excellent time to earn goodwill. Starbucks gives a free drink voucher to members to redeem anytime near their birthdays. Godiva club members receive a free truffle every month and an extra on their birthday month. Sixteen Handles gives a free cup of frozen yogurt to anyone who comes in their birthday. Who wouldn't like that?

businesses hit the jackpot with quality service. Consistently positive and friendly employees are rare but crucial. One bad experience can ruin a lot of customer goodwill, especially if it's tweeted to the world. When I called to activate my new Capital One card, I was floored by the wonderful customer service. On the other end of the spectrum, I've had terrible experiences with T-Mobile. It's consistently awful service; I'm often transfered multiple times, usually round in circles until they decide who I really need to talk to. A few times, I've hung up, frustrated that I couldn't get the help I was looking for. Quality service is hard to find.

I'm writing this in a Starbucks in London, which I'm usually not a big fan of. They are too expensive and not very good, in my opinion. But they just won my favor. Having just had a birthday, I had a free latte to redeem. None of the Starbucks in US airports would recognize the reward voucher. I was told that all airport Starbucks are managed by a major franchising corporation, distinct from normal Starbucks. Anyway, having returned to London, I discovered that US rewards are not honored here. But the barista gave me a venti pumpkin spice latte for the price of a shot of espresso. How nice! The little things truly do make all the difference.

London Bucket List

See the view of London from Hampstead Heath
Attend the Ceremony of the Keys (locking up the Tower of London)
Browse all floors of the V&A
Master a British accent
Eat dumplings in Chinatown
Hang out in the Natural History Museum Friday Night "Late"
Spend an evening in Camden Town
Get tickets to a play at the Shakespeare Globe and Les Miserables and Book of Mormon
Visit Oxford, Cambridge, York, Stonehenge, Bath, Manchester, and Stratford-upon-Avon
Travel to Scotland, Wales, North Ireland, Poland, Portugal and Spain

Life in London

There are never any pence on the pavement in London, while New York sidewalks are littered with pennies. Beyond that, the cities are quite similar: packed tube/subway cars; Starbucks at every corner in the center of the city; countless ethnic restaurants; the melting pot of cultures. It feels like home in so many ways.

Okay, realistically, it's not identical. The accents are the major obvious difference - everything they say sounds so posh; their streets twist and wind in the most illogical patterns, as do most of the tube lines; their grocery stores sell everything prepackaged, strangly futuristic; the buildings are much older and often more beautiful; their history goes back a lot later than America's; and they buy and sell with pounds, making everything about 50 percent more expensive than the states. Maybe that's why there are no pence on the pavement...

Syrian Friend

Sunday afternoon, in typical London fashion, the sunny day quickly turned cloudy and started pouring. I was in the middle of Trafalgar Square and had forgotten my umbrella.  So I ducked into the nearest Caffe Nero to stay dry. Next to me sat a doctor reading an academic journal. He moved to England many years ago to study medicine and earned citizenship, but he identifies as Syrian. So we discussed Syria's history, Assad's recent atrocities, relations with China and Russia, the Sunnis and Shi'a Muslims, the rebel groups, the best case scenario for Syria's future, how the international community should respond, Britain's non-response, Assad's relationship with Israel, the refugee situation, and his brothers and family who are living in Damascus. Most fascinating! If you want to hear his thoughts on any of these topics, put a comment on one or two, and I'll write his answers here.

To give one example, my friend Ghazi said that an international response is warranted, especially due to the fact that Assad has used chemical weapons on his citizens 14 times, in the outskirts of Damascus. The supposed reason is that Assad wants the land back and wants to crush the rebel groups, and chemical weapons are his most effective means. Ghazi says that Obama should provide arms and resources to the Free Syrian Army, which he considers the most effective and hopeful rebel group. He also made a comment about the thousands of people that are being held by the government and tortured daily. He really wants Assad to leave (obviously), and for these people to be freed. Although they're removed from the chemical weapons, they're still being treated completely inappropriately. I wonder how the international human rights organizations are going to handle this one. It's not against the rules of war, but it's abominable.

Oslo

The most expensive city in the world certainly lives up to its repuation. To give you some idea of the prices in Oslo, an entrée at any normal sit-down restaurant ranges from 150-250NKK, with prices much higher at fancy places. The conversion rate makes that $25-$42 (€19-€31). Crazy!! Supermarket prices are far more reasonable, but still highly inflated compared to American norms.

The city resembles a modern, brand-obsessed population, with TGI Friday's, McDonald's, and Burger King lining the streets. I stumbled upon an abundance of juice shops and espresso cafes and bars, just as you would expect in a country's capital. And the fearless pigeons were as obnoxious as they are in Manhattan. 

Oslo has the honor of presenting the Nobel Peace Prize each year. Alfred Nobel gave them this responsibility before Norway had independence. Now it's slightly strange that Stockholm presents all the other prizes, while Oslo presents its prize, especially because they're bestowed on the same day: December 12th, when Alfred passed away. The Peace Prize is given in the City Hall, adorned with an astronomical clock:

Henry Ibsen is a native of Oslo, and they honor him with a statue outside his museum:

Oslo also has incredible beaches, and the weather wasn't frigid, as I expected from the North Sea. Some people on the beach said it was 19 degrees (Celsius). I couldn't remember the conversion, so I just went in. It wasn't too bad in the water, but it was far nicer on the sand :)  

Their new opera house has a gradually sloped roof that reaches all the way to the ground!  So locals and tourists alike climb up to the top to watch the sunset and enjoy the peaceful water and the views of the city:

Oslo has many popular pedestrian streets, one of which starts with the guy below. Not sure who he is, but he sits right in the center of the city, across from the parliament building:

 

Oslo is surprisingly small. The total population is less than a million, and tourists aren't attracted in roves, due to the high prices. So it's quiet even in summer. Nonetheless, the locals all flock to enjoy the parks, lounging on blankets and grilling some dinner, soaking up all the rays before the sun disappears for the winter. 

"Put them in fear, Lord, that the nations may know they are but men." ~ Psalm 9